US can't afford to ignore mentally ill

4:31 AM,
Oct. 24, 2013

On Sept. 16, Aaron Alexis killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard. FBI officials say Aaron Alexis was under 'the delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves.' Alexis' father reported his son had anger management problems linked to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Written by

G. Scott Weston and Michael McGuire

Two recent tragedies in Washington, D.C., highlight the critical need for a national conversation about mental health issues in this country:

? On Oct. 3, Miriam Carey, a dental hygienist from Stamford, Conn., crashed her car into a barricade near the White House. After a chase that ended near the Capitol, Carey was shot dead by police officers. Her 1-year-old daughter was in the car during the incident. Several media outlets reported that Carey had recently been diagnosed with postpartum depression with psychosis.

? On Sept. 16, Aaron Alexis, a military contractor and Navy veteran, ...